Participants in the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative take a selfie with Joshua Polacheck (left, background), public affairs officer at the United States Embassy in Kingston.

The United States (US) Embassy in Kingston, in collaboration with the Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship - Caribbean, and Meridian International Center, will today host the Young Leaders of the Americas (YLAI) Regional Workshop on Entrepreneurship. The workshop is being held to examine unique challenges and opportunities facing entrepreneurs in the Caribbean, and encourage growth and collaboration outside of the region.

Today and tomorrow, 100 young entrepreneurs representing 20 countries from the Caribbean will convene with senior officials from the US Department of State in Washington, DC, US Embassy Kingston, Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship - Caribbean, as well as top entrepreneurs from across the US for ongoing entrepreneurship training and collaboration and knowledge-sharing.

Sir Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Group and Branson Centre, will headline the two-day workshop and discuss how entrepreneurship in the Caribbean can, and will, move the region forward economically.

Additional workshop high-lights include a keynote presentation by American entrepreneur and artist Chase Jarvis, CEO of CreativeLive; a forum immersion mini-course led by the global membership association Entrepreneurs' Organization; interactive peer skill-building sessions led by attendees; and YLAI Labs - facilitated by Meridian and Atlas Corps.

The mission of the YLAI Regional Workshop on Entrepreneurship is to:

- Maximise opportunities for entrepreneurial networking and linkages, leveraging diversity in the audience to inspire collaboration and knowledge-sharing;

- Examine challenges unique for Caribbean social and business entrepreneurs and strategies for overcoming them;

- Explore opportunities for business growth and market expansion around and outside of the Caribbean region; and